Or don't - we have spares. There are four ways to be useful here and none of them require you to know anything about gardening.
No experience needed, tools provided, and someone will show you what to do within a minute of arriving.
The big ones. Two days, thirty to sixty people, and an empty lot turns into a garden. Six scheduled this year, usually April through June.
A standing three-hour shift, 9am to noon, at whichever garden needs hands that week. Come once or come every week - both are genuinely fine.
Carpentry, plumbing, grant writing, legal, translation, or driving a truck. Skilled volunteers save us more money than any single donation last year.
Two days, all levels. Lunch provided both days. 22 spots left of 60.
Bed turning and seedling planting. 9am-12pm, drop in.
Indoor, seated, and a good one to bring kids to. Two hours at the Ninth Street office.
Extending an existing garden by fourteen beds. 40 spots.
Applications open twice a year. The next round closes 31 August.
That's the only hard requirement. Ten households on or near the block who will commit to being part of the garden committee for two years.
Vacant, city-owned or privately held, ideally over 2,000 square feet. Don't worry about who owns it - that part is our job.
A short form and one meeting with two of us on the block itself. We'll walk the lot with you and be honest about whether it's workable.
Lease, soil, build, and two funded seasons. Roughly fourteen months from application to first harvest.
Team build days that are actually useful rather than decorative, plus garden sponsorship at $12,000 a year. We'll send photographs your communications team will genuinely want.
Six schools run growing programs on our plots. We supply the beds, the curriculum, and an educator for the first year.
Buy surplus at fair prices in high season, or donate compost and seedlings. Eleven restaurants currently do both.
Or give monthly, if standing in a lot in July isn't your thing. Both keep gardens opening.
Get started →